Noah Pointer (Center) Accepting the On-the-Spot Award at NASA with Sasha Sims (Right) and Pam Underwood (Left)
Merritt Island, FL — Noah Pointer, during this time working at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) this summer received an award:
“For delivering outstanding, high-impact support to the Spaceport Digital Twin, showing initiative, technical skill, and professionalism beyond expectations.”
-Brian Hughes, Director of Kennedy Space Center
Picture of the Award Presented to Noah Pointer
Noah Pointer
Noah Pointer is a B.S. Candidate in Software Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and member of the BID4R Lab under the mentorship of the lab supervisor, Dr. Bryan Watson.
His academic work includes research into methods for engineering thriving by utilizing machine learning to interpret biometric data, under Dr. Julianna Gesun.
Noah has been working with NASA for multiple year, and plan to continue working at NASA space centers upon graduation as a Full Time Engineer. All of the BID4R Lab wishes him continued success in his work!
(Left to Right) Carolyn Richardson, Joanna Morris, Abigail Butcher at Summer SRS 2026
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — It may be Summer, but the work continues for BID4R. Joanna Morris, Abigail Butcher, and Carolyn Richardson, who presented their ongoing research at the ERAU Summer Student Research Symposium.
Carolyn Richardson
Among those who represented BID4R was Carolyn Richardson, a recent addition to the BID4R Lab, who is currently pursuing both a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Systems Engineering.
Carolyn was awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) Grant to pursue her work titled Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Detection in Wright-Giemsa Blood Smears Using ResNet-18 Pattern Recognition with MayGAN-Based Data Augmentation.
Those interested in learning more can see her work presented in the ERAU Scholarly Commons.
Dr. James Hand (Left), Dr. Bryan Watson (Center), and Dr. Rogelio Garcia Otalvaro (Right) at INCOSE IS 2026
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN — This year the BID4R sent recent Ph.D. graduates Rogelio Garcia Otalvaro and James Hand to the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) International Symposium 2026 (IS 2026) in Yokohama, Japan. Alongside them the BID4R lab advisor Dr. Bryan Watson attended as Deputy Technical Program Chair for the conference. For next year Dr. Watson will be the Technical Program Chair for IS 2027 in Washington D.C., USA.
Rogelio and James presented papers that continued work from the presentations they made at last year’s IS 2025. Rogelio presented his work titled “Democratizing Resilience Analysis: Open-Source Tool Adaptation for Multi-Stakeholder Infrastructure Assessment”. This presentation gained interest in those looking for open-source solutions to resilience analysis.
James presented “A Sensitivity Analysis of the Effects of Spatial heterogeneity on System Resilience to Contagious Faults”, which is a direct follow up to one of the papers he presented that earned him the Brian Mar Best Student Paper at last year’s International Symposium.
The three, alongside another professor from ERAU Dr. Vidhyashree Nagaraju, and James’ wife Alexis Tucker attended the closing reception the evening after their presentation where they got to experience traditional Kagura dances and shamisen music performances. Outside the conference, members of the lab were also able to explore the local cuisine, visit nearby shrines, and other tourist experiences.”
BID4R Lab Members at Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza, April 2026, (left to right) Spoorti Nanjamma, Fayruz Maysha, Grace Gratton, Maxwell Moolchan, Joanna Morris, James Hand, Bryan Watson, Nick Wilson, Graci Flaherty, Tim Mascal, Ava Neubert, Nate George, and Morgan Kendall
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — The Biologically Inspired Design-for-Resilience Lab (BID4R) wraps up a great Spring 2026 Semester. The lab shared a meal at Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza, enjoying fantastic pizza, with a crowd favorite being the unique Spaghetti and Meatball Pizza.
Spaghetti & Meatball Pizza at Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza (source: Trip Advisor)
Dr. Bryan Watson expressed his gratitude for everyone in the lab and their hard work. He emphasized the quality of the work the lab engages in, congratulated those who won well deserved accolades, scholarships, and professional recognition during the year. Dr. Watson shared his ambitions and plans for the coming semester and years.
The attendees expressed thank to Dr. Watson for his consistent support throughout the semester, and excellent advice during his meetings with lab members even as the lab has grown significantly in size since it was established in 2022.
Congratulations to the Graduates
James Hand, PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
It was also a bittersweet moment for the lab. As its first student member, James Hand, will be graduating with his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science this spring.
He is joined by other Spring 2026 graduates Noah Fulton who will be receiving his M.S. in Systems Engineering and Maxwell Moolchan who will be receiving his M.S. in Systems Engineering.
Additionally, Spoorti Nanjamma and Christine Sessions will both be graduating their Master’s Degrees and transitioning to PhD Students under Dr. Watson. Spoorti will be receiving her M.S. in Systems Engineering, while Christine will be receiving her M.S. in Systems Engineering and her MBA.
Noah Fulton, M.S. Systems Engineering
Maxwell Moolchan, M.S. Systems Engineering
Spoorti Nanjamma, M.S. Systems Engineering
Christine Sessions, M.S. Systems Engineering & MBA
All attendees of the BID4R Semester Sendoff Dinner
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — Dr. James Hand is featured in an article from Embry-Riddle news written by Michaela Jarvis. The article details his background, education, accomplishments, and work within the BID4R Lab. Please see the original article linked above.
BLACKSBURG, VA—Bryan Watson represented Bid4R Lab at the Pat Tillman Foundation’s Touchstone Leadership Program, a two-day intensive led by Beneath the Service and hosted at Virginia Tech (February 20–21, 2026).
The program brought together Pat Tillman Fellows from across disciplines for structured leadership development and cohort engagement. Sessions included Program Kickoff, Leading with DISC, Strategic Influence, Crafting & Delivering Strategic Content, Practical AI Use for Leaders, Effective Teaming, and Overcoming Immunity to Change. The format combined formal instruction, applied exercises, small-group work, and networking opportunities.
The Touchstone experience emphasizes practical leadership tools designed for immediate application across sectors. Participation provided opportunities to engage with fellows spanning medicine, law, science, engineering, and business, reinforcing the interdisciplinary nature of the Tillman community. Bid4R Lab remains committed to leadership development alongside technical excellence. Experiences such as Touchstone strengthen the lab’s mentoring culture and support the continued development of students and collaborators.
Thank you to Virginia Tech, Dr. Deborah Bradbard, Pat Tillman Foundation, and Beneath the Service for hosting and facilitating the program.
Dr Bryan Watson at Pat Tillman Foundation Touchstone Leadership Program, Virginia Tech
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — Two BID4R Members, Grace Gratton and Spoorti Nanjamma, were selected as winners of Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties for their exceptional contributions in the aerospace STEM field. These Students and valued Lab Members will be honored on March 19th, 2026 with at the 68th Annual Laureates Awards and Dinner in Washington, D.C.
Grace Gratton, a Junior in the Space Physics Program, and Goldwater Scholar has been researching algorithms for multi-agent systems with applications for drone or satellite networks.
Her algorithms is biologically inspired by the hatching behavior of Giant South American River Turtle, a natural process that models distributed decision making.
“My work contributes to ensuring the security, reliability and effectiveness of the multi-agent systems our nation increasingly depends on,” Gratton said.
Spoorti Nanjamma, a candidate for a Master’s Degree is Systems Engineering and international student.
She is exploring the extent to which biologically inspired design (BID) has been implemented in satellite and CubeSat designs, identifying existing gaps and potential new BID applications. Nanjamma is also developing a guide to implementing BID for student satellite teams .
Spoorti Nanjamma (Photo: Joseph M. Harrison)
She is applying her skills in model based system engineering to improve the development of Project COMET (the ERAU CubeSat Mission) with a well defined system architecture
“Having my work shared with top leaders across the aerospace industry is incredibly motivating and has opened new doors for me, which encourages me to keep aiming higher,” Nanjamma said.
Dr. Bryan Watson, the head of the BID4R lab, has said “It is an honor to work with students like Grace and Spoorti and this recognition is a testimony to the strength of the ERAU student body.” and that this is “a major accomplishment”.
Jaden Caradine B.S. Candidate in Aerospace Engineering
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — BID4R student, Jaden Caradine, was offered 3 different positions within the NASA pathways program before ultimately accepting a position in the Space Mission Analysis Branch at Langley Research Center. Their work closely aligns with his long-term goals of becoming a systems integration engineer for future space station projects similar to the ISS and project gateway.
The NASA Pathways program is a unique opportunity that provides a series of internships and mentorship that continue until you graduate. He’ll be starting his first internship in Jan 2026, continue to go back every summer until he finishes his master’s degree. NASA pathways interns are hired on as full time government employees. As they progress in their respective degree and field they become eligible for promotions within the pathways program and even have the option of transferring to other departments or NASA centers to determine the most suitable place for their skill set.
The NASA Pathways Program, unlike traditional internship programs, does not require him to apply every year; it guarantees a series of internships while he completes his undergraduate and graduate studies. At the completion of a program, it provides a direct pipeline to apply for full time employment with NASA.
Jaden Caradine is really excited to work with the Space Mission Analysis Branch as they develop Integrated architectures, perform mission risk analysis, and strategically provide programmatic and technical assessments of future missions and space technology. They develop and apply data driven decision models to inform NASA decision makers. It was hinted during his interview that he’ll be given a portfolio of technologies and systems and have the opportunity to evaluate the integration methods, identifying potential risks, and search for possible improvements. He won’t know exactly what he’ll be doing until he gets there, but he’s confident that no matter what project they put him on, this center will develop the core skills necessary for engineering leadership and decision making.
He said, “I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to share what I learn with my friends, colleagues, and community.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — The BID4R Lab is once again at the close of a term, and to celebrate Dr. Watson invited all of the Lab Members to his home for a night of fun, celebration, and Moe’s Southwest Grill™. This semester had much to celebrate with some new Lab Members joining and others graduating and moving on, there is much to celebrate.
Rogelio G.
David C (Left) and Fayruz M. (Left)
Congratulations to Rogelio, David, and Fayruz for graduating after years of hard work!
Rogelio Gracia Otalvaro: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
BID4R Lab 